I typically try to make things from scratch (like my own Beef stroganoff similar to hamburger helper) but I was so tired last night and I had made mention at the sitters how a quick easy dinner would be so nice. She gave me a box of the Lasagna Hamburger helper to take home with me - and yes - it was soo much easier.
So, just curious how many others eat Hamburger Helper and how often. Or are you a big NO to the helper since typically it isn't much harder to make from scratch?
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EW! But then again, I freely eat Rice-a-Roni, Pasta-Roni, and Kraft Mac N Cheese, which are basically the same thing. So I shouldn't judge.
In fact I really love Pasta/Rice-a Roni as a side dish. They are just so salty and delicious! It's really got nothing good about it though. And it's not much harder to boil angel hair and sprinkle olive oil and parm cheese over it... Sigh.
SOMETIMES. I keep it on hand for when I need something quick...but I'd rather go with other options first :).
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SOMETIMES. I keep it on hand for when I need something quick...but I'd rather go with other options first :).
We cook most things from scratch around here too. There are times where it would be nice to use it as a shortcut. But my kids and hubby can't stand it. It was the same result as the one time I tried making spaghetti o's for lunch. My son called it "yuck in a can". So it's a big NO in this house, we don't eat them. But I have other quickie meals in the pantry for those nights I'd rather slice off a limb than cook. :)
I would love the convenience, but no. They are soooo bad for you. It shouldn't even be considered food, really. Once in a blue moon, of course there is nothing wrong with it!! I know someone people who cook it every night, pretty much. I find that scary!
Nah. We never eat that stuff--just too many mystery ingredients.
I'd rather whip up something fast AND decent.
I've gotta believe even a carryout pizza is better (nutritionally) than a box of that gruel.
But if you use it once in a blue moon--don't stress.
As for the "ghetto food" comment--I guess the appeal to the lower class is that it's CHEAP and all you need is O. lb. of hamburger to have a hot meal. It's always cheaper to eat junk--and THAT's messed up!
Every once in a while, I pick up a box at the grocery store and think "yes, TONIGHT will be an easy dinner night!". Then I read the list of ingredients and immediately put back the box. It's junk. I'd rather either make it from scratch or just grill a meat, roast a veg and add a carb like brown rice on the side and feed that to my kids rather than something from a box. I keep trying, I really do, but reading that ingredient list is SUCH a turn-off.
I would rather chew on cardboard. Ick!
I prefer to make things from scratch, but I'm not above the almighty box of hamburger helper when I'm busy! It has a lot of MSG and other preservatives in it, but anything's fine in moderation.
My husband refuses to eat anything that didn't take longer than six hours. hAH! BUT we have eaten it in the past when we were tired and I tell you when you are tired and hungry it tasted great. We don't eat it often, but I still sneak it in every now and then. LOVE the tuna helper.
Every so often I just can't resist picking up some Hamburger Helper. The pictures on the packaging look so yummy and I think to myself, Wow! All I have to do is buy a pound of ground beef and we'll be set! Surely this flavor will be better than the others we've tried.....Then we eat it and to be honest I remember why we don't buy it on a regular basis. IMHO it just doesn't taste that good.
Absolutely not! Hamburger Helper is DISGUSTING! I cannot stand it. Just thinking about it makes me gag a little. If I need a quick evening meal we have a few go-tos. Option 1) one of the frozen bag meals - usually a chicken & pasta Option 2) can of soup and grilled cheese (one of my favorite comfort foods!) Option 3) scrambled eggs and bacon or sausage
As a kid, my favorite meals were when we got to have cereal for dinner. At the time I thought my mom was just super awesome. But now I realize there were just some nights mom was too exhausted to cook!
Take a look at the ingredients, Sam. There's a ton of sodium in it, and that's not good for the heart (and makes you bloat too!) Also, there are a lot of preservatives in there that aren't good for you too.
There's nothing wrong with taking short cuts when you need to. But all the time is different!
Smiles! Dawn
No to the helper - it's loaded with HFCS and MSG
We used to eat that on a really regular basis. Over the years I've made the switch to making just about everything from scratch. It was harder to get my husband to make the switch on the nights when he cooks, but we eventually got there (for the most part). For example, I haven't bought mashed potato flakes in literally YEARS. With that being said, once in a blue moon I'll break down & grab a hamburger helper, but only the one with the shredded hash brown potatoes, don't remember what it's even called. This happens maybe twice a year & only because either the kids beg me for it or because I'm just too exhausted to face anything else. I will admit that last night hubby cooked & he did include Rice-A-Roni.
I'm a HUGE fan of anyting easy! :)
I love hamburger helper, Knorr noodle mixes, etc...
I use to make it a loooong time ago. It's just way to freakin' salty.
None here. Too artificial. If we need a quick and easy dinner I'm more likely to make soup and sandwiches.
Have you looked at the ingredients? There is so much sodium in those, so many things that are not "food".
Have I used stuff like that? Yes, but as a "snack", extra empty calories, not a real meal. It's not much harder to chop an onion and green pepper and throw it into some spaghetti sauce, boil the pasta, and add a protein.
When I need a quick easy dinner we have breakfast for dinner: eggs, bacon, toast, a fruit; or pancakes and sausage and fruit.
But then, cooking chills me out, I find it very relaxing.
We call this ghetto food around here, lol. once in a while we eat it, process food has lots of sodium. i cook it for a long time, so it doesnt have that powdery taste.
make sammiches or canned soup for those tired days.
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww No way!
Haven't read your responses yet. NO we are not the Hamburger Helper type. We don't tolerate preservatives/additives well (as in, I get a headache & my husband's acid reflux kicks in big time). My husband also can't have garlic and that's in everything that's processed/pre-made. So I basically make dinner from scratch every night with very little exception. I might use a plain flavor box of couscous, but that's it. No fast side dishes here unless it's noodles and maybe a little butter and grated cheese. I actually made hamburger helper maybe 15+ years ago and vowed never to make it again. I literally couldn't eat it. it just didn't taste like real food to us so we never ate it again. Now I know it would make me sick so I have no desire to (except when I look at all the dishes I create by making everything from scratch).
Nope, haven't eaten that or anything like it since the 70s when I was a kid.
We used to use "convenience foods" like Hamburger Helper all of the time. However, we rarely do anymore, as we are trying to eat healthier (too much sodium, preservatives, and such in those foods.)
Although, on a rare occasion, when you need a fast easy dinner, it would be okay :)
Oh how I hate hamburger helper! My husband and sons like it, but I never buy it or cook it. They are old enough to buy and cook it if they want. They are not healthy, but I am not against a similar type thing on a night I don't want to cook. I do eat frozen meals, mac and cheese, etc - just can't stand the helper!
ha...funny. We just had that last night.
When my husband and I first got married we were P.O.O.R. Man, it was rough. We ate so much hamburger helper and spaghetti! All the cheap food! My husband refuses to eat it now, says it reminds him of our rough start and that he had enough Hamburger Helper to last him a lifetime. lol
So, my boys love it though! We have it about once every 4 months, on a day that my husband is working late, and they are thrilled when I make it. They don't even call it H.H., they call it macaroni and meat. haha.
L.
That would be a big fat NO. Hamburger Helper is one of the worst foods out there in term of artifitial flavors and sodium. As tempting as it is I would rather not. There are so many other good choices out there for quick dinners that do not require a box of stuff.
I make it perhaps once a month. I do try to avoid boxed foods, but really, once in a while isn't going to hurt anyone and my kids love it. I have a hard time getting both of my kids to eat meat, but they will eat ground beef in hamb. helper, and they need the iron. I try to save it for nights when we are really busy and I don't have much time to cook. Enjoy!
My husband and son love a few flavors of Hamburger Helper, so I make it for them once in awhile (once every few months).
They really love it when I use a can of goats milk instead of regular milk to mix it up.
I like Chicken Helper myself, but I use it only when I'm really pressed for ideas/time because I can usually whip up something with chicken breasts so easily.
I'm a NO! I can't stomach it. We eat our share of ground beef in homemade lasagna (3 times a month), porcupine meatballs (twice a month), and meatloaf (once a month). And of course, the occasional burger.
We do on occassion in a pinch. I would rather do from scratch in a crock pot than rely on the boxed stuff :)
I have 2 boxes in the cupboard just in case, but we typically do not eat it. I do not see anything wrong with them though, as long as they are not eaten every night of the week!
During baseball and soccer season - we do Hamburger Helper, Chicken Helper, Tuna helper...and the Bertolli dinners...yeah - they are artificial and have sodium in them....when I'm in a rush - they work.
How often do I use them? Not that often. They are there in a pinch...
We used to eat it a lot when I worked but now that I am home all day I cook almost everything fresh and from scratch.
HB Helper yes, probably 2 times per week with some canned mini raviolis or spahettios in the mix. And the really cheap hot dogs with store brand mac and cheese. Those are really cheap meals the kids love and I can fix quickly.
Ugh, disgusting! I just can't do it, no matter how lazy I am feeling...
I dislike it. My husband loves it. I'm the one who cooks and does the grocery shopping so we don't have it very often. Maybe once every few months just to make him happy.
Way too much salt and additives, as others have said. I think it's easier to cook some double meals and freeze half. It's the same amount of work but you get double the yield. Then on crazy days, just defrost something great like a lasagna with extra veggies or a chicken & rice & veggie dish. Otherwise pick up a ready-to-eat meal like a rotisserie chicken and a veggie side dish.
If you find yourself forced to make Hamburger Helper anyway, put in twice the meat and add some veggies, then freeze half. You'll at least cut the sodium by half.
